Nanaimo Girl

by Prudence Emery

Born in Nanaimo to a family of eccentrics, Prudence Emery was set up to do all the right things: she went to Crofton House private school for girls in Vancouver, attended the Trafalgar Day Ball, and was a debutante.

But she shattered family expectations when she took off for London to attend art school. There, living on an allowance from her father, she met and became fast friends with an astonishing array of people, and at the expense of her studies, she became a party girl.

After her father cautioned her that he would not pay for such a decadent lifestyle, she moved to Montreal and landed a job at Expo 67.

After this, she returned to London to work in the press office of the Savoy Hotel – back in the days when the Savoy was the home-away-from-home for the stars of stage and film, political figures, and royalty.

Realising that she would die of champagne consumption, she returned to Canada where she worked as a film publicist. Upon retirement, she moved to Victoria where she continues to live a life that is anything but prudent.

Delightfully written, this often very funny memoir is a testament to a life well-lived and an encouragement to all, young and old, to get out, defy expectations, and have a rip-roaring good time.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2019

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish the book. Lost interest and Emery just seemed to want to impress the reader with all the famous people she had met.

[Dalys · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even though I'm a "Nanaimo Girl" myself, this was not the book for me. If you're interested in reading short anecdotes about either celebrities and other muckety-mucks who stayed at a fancy London hotel during the 1960s-70s or about the world of film industry publicity from about 1975 to 2010, this could be a good pick for you, but it just read like a LOT of name dropping, drinking, and privilege to me. I don't refute that Emery had a full, interesting, and likely hugely exciting life - her writing just didn't engage me.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an interesting read although the middle section is frustrating - just too many characters to keep track of, it needs a glossary or some such! Living on Vancouver Island and growing up in Victoria I found that so many of her experiences in her early days are familiar to me. The accounts of her work as a publicist on films were enjoyable. I wish the many photos had captions under the photos or on the same page, it was a chore to flip back and forth to the back of the book for that information. But all in all, it is worth a read - what an amazing life Prudence had!

[Pamela Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a character!! I would love to meet this woman, what a fun life she has led!

[Kyla Belvedere]

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. Emery has led an interesting life, but I wish she were looking back on her experiences with a more "woke" view. She laughs off predatory behaviour, but we are in a new era, and as I am shown how it was and your thoughts at the time, I also want to know how you view those same experiences as a grown woman with this world of experience. As a reader of a memoir, I wanted to cheer for Emery NOW, and to see that because of and in spite of these experiences, she has become a woman to revere, learn from, etc.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book. I managed to get through almost 1/2. I enjoyed the first part when she talks about her childhood in Nanaimo, Victoria, and Crofton House. I even enjoyed reading about her travels in Europe. The problem is that it eventually became page after page of name dropping.

[Rebecca]

DNF. I wanted to like this book, but the writing failed me. It was random thoughts written down as she remembered them. Very disjointed.

[Lynnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, what a life! Prudence has touched so many lives (including mine, many years ago) in her adventures and career and she is a funny, wily force of nature. Her life is a travelogue and a film library that includes so many celebrities and arts workers it makes your head spin. No assignment was too risky or benign. She was all about saying yes to whatever challenges were thrown her way.
As an added bonus you should read her novel, written with her longtime friend and colleague,
Ron Base named ironically “Death at the Savoy”, a rollicking murder mystery!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, amusing at times and I recognized actors and some directors as well as some movies noted.

[Susan Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read.

[Barb Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the flamboyant stories of this amazing lady.

[Jodi Gilmore · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. No story just lots of famous people